Hate FACTOR

Commenting on the recent humiliating loss of National Conference in Lok Sabha polls, Hurriyat (G)Chairman Syed Ali Geelani on Thursday said that it was the anger against NC among people that helped Peoples Democratic Party for a sweeping victory in all the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Kashmir.

“Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) swept all the three valley seats not because of its agenda but due to the anger that people of valley had against the National Conference regime,” said Geelani.

While claiming that NC left no stone unturned in committing ‘atrocities ‘against the people of valley, Geelani said that the “fact is PDP did not win because of its slogans of self rule and healing touch but due to the anger that people of valley had against National Conference and the steps it took during the five and half years of its regime.”

Geelani also said that the people were aghast over the Shopain double murder-rape case and the way it was hushed coupled with the killing of 128 children in summer of 2010.

Terming the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s latest move of asking people for the suggestions to rectify the wrongs, as ‘Makrofane Khawajagee, Geelani stated that the steps are being taken to lure people and that on ground the ‘atrocities’ against the youth continue under the noose of the present dispensation.

 “PSA is being slapped against the youth at large scale, the arrest spree continues on ground. Police in north Kashmir is harassing the inhabitants under the barrel of gun. The leaders are being jailed and false cases are being framed by the government,” the ailing pro-freedom leader said.

Taking a dig at PDP, Geelani also stated that the party is no different from NC and Congress and that its policies in the past have always remained ‘anti people’.

 “We cannot expect any good from PDP. It is no different from NC or Congress.”

Scandulous LITERATE

Infamous examination scam involving senior Congress minister Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed’s son Imam Souban Thursday saw a new twist with Crime Branch officials raiding a Srinagar based school and arrested two clerks. The Crime Branch was searching for school records of Imam Souban. Souban is accused of using unfair means to pass his matriculation examination.

Gazala Gulzar, on behalf of Vision Public School, in a statement said that the present management of the school has nothing to do with Imam Souban’s case.

Crime branch on May 15 raided Vision Public School, office in connection with the scam and seized some important documents related to the case from the school office besides taking few other school officials in to custody. Admission register bearing the name of legislator’s foster son was traced in the school office.

Gulzar said that they bought Vision Public School in November 2012 and the examination fraud happened in 2009. She claimed that Souban had not even attended the school neither paid any type of fee.

She said that they were surprised as to how his name surfaced in the school records even when he never attended the school and no other document justifies his admission in school records.

She added that Souban’s admission had been done secretly in 2009 few months before the Board Examinations by the previous school administration as the said school was taken over by new administration in November 2012. “His admission was done by the previous dispensation flouting all rules and regulations only to facilitate cheating in the examination” officials employed in the school said. Crime branch has registered an FIR in this regard under FIR 1/2014.

SMS @ GUPKAR

After the ruling coalition was decimated in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, in introspection, CM Omar Abdullah ordered resuming of Short Messaging Service (SMS) on pre-paid cell phones. At a time when instant messaging services like WhatsApp, We Chat, Nimbuzz and other such services have given people easier ways of communication, the re-start of SMS is being seen as nothing but ‘poll gimmick’. Omar tweeted, “On a separate note in continuation with the corrective measures based on the feedback from people I’ve ordered the lifting of the SMS ban.”

The Omar led government had banned texting on prepaid mobile phones, which it blamed for the spreading of false information during the often deadly protests that were erupting in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley post 2010.

Interestingly, SMS ban did not affect those who wanted to text as they invested in post paid mobile phones, and those who had access to internet switched to WhatsApp, acquired by Facebook earlier this year.

“Impose a ban on SMS in 2010 when EVERYBODY uses it and revoke the ban in 2014 when NOBODY uses it,” someone tweeted following the revoking of the SMS ban.

Bloody WEEK

 As the voices are getting shriller day by day against army’s continuous occupation of Tosamaidan meadow, a minor girl was killed and her brother lost both his legs after an unexploded shell went off in a village near Tosamaidan firing range in district Budgam Monday.

Reports said Simran Riyaz died on the spot while her 5-year old brother Fayaz Ahmad Parray lost both his legs when they walked over a littered shell in Drang, Parraypora area around Tosamaidan. The sprawling meadow is being used by the army as a firing range since 1965.

The kids were on way back to their home when the incident took place at around 1:40 PM. Police said though the area doesn’t fall in Tosamaidan firing range, the shell had drifted via Suresh Nallah passing through the area. It said they have apprehensions that more shells could have drifted via the Nallah, threatening peoples’ lives.

Meanwhile killings by ‘unidentified’ gunmen, it seems, is on the rise in Kashmir. So far, in May only two persons were first kidnapped and then ruthlessly killed.

In North Kashmir’s Sopore town, an undergraduate youth was killed. Reports said Abid Akbar Wani, 20, son of Muhammad Akbar of Krankshivan colony was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a nursery in nearby Tarzoo area. As per his family, Abid had been missing since Saturday evening and they came to know about his killing Sunday morning. However, police said Abid’s Call Detail Record (CDR) suggest his cell phone was switched off from last three days. Abid was tied to a willow tree and shot from point blank range, the reports said.

An elder son in the family, Abid is survived by two sisters and a younger brother. His father is a motor mechanic. As the investigation was started by police, it said Lashkar-e-Toiba is involved in the killing of Sopore undergraduate youth.

According to police, Abid, in past was having ‘affiliation’ with militants. “Early investigations have revealed that he was killed on the instructions of LeT commander Muzaffar Molvi as militants doubted his integrity and they had felt that Abid was in league with local army unit,” DIG North Kashmir said adding that before killing him, Abid was in the custody of militants from two days.

In South Kashmir’s Shopian district, another youth was kidnapped and killed by unidentified armed men.

Naseer Ahmad Mir, 23, son of Mohammad Yousuf Mir, a resident of Mirpora, Gugludo Pinjura in Shopian was kidnapped by some unidentified gunmen and killed during the night.

Family version of the events said that the unidentified gunmen were in army fatigue who forced their entry into their house at around 9 PM and kidnapped Naseer. His body was recovered Tuesday morning near Killora village of the area. People living in the area had heard gunshots that night. Police said that Naseer, a mobile phone mechanic by profession, was kidnapped by suspected militants who later killed him.